Starvation

[amadeus75]

Dear, Friends,

Could anyone explain me the reason of serum starvation in cell cultures?

It's a non physiological situation!

It is no better to add the molecule of interest (in my case a specific antibody anti-HLA-) to complete MEM, 10% FCS?

It is more physiological, isnt it?

Kris

[biohazard]

If serum is used in the medium, it means there is a degree of variation in your experiment - the serum batches are not identical, and their composition is not fully identified. E.g. the cytokine profile of a given serum batch can have profound differences when compared to another batch, even from the same manufacturer.

Furthermore, in vitro culture is never a physiological environment, so it all depends on how much you want to be able to control your experiment conditions - cells usually do better in a medium that has been supplemented with serum, but culturing them in a serum-free environment allows you to determine the conditions of your experiement much more precisely.

Lastly, there are some occasions that require serum-free conditions. For example, some serum components bind many toxic/foreign molecules (e.g. some drugs), inactivating them or reducing their active concentration, and thus affecting the test results.